By Rahul Banerji
Bahamas-bound Pranavi Urs of Mysore won her second consecutive entry to the Faldo Series Final in Asia, topping not just the girls Under-16 competition but also carding the best score of all entrants at the Jaypee Greens in Greater Noida.
Pranavi had a cumulative three-day score of 2-over 218 (75, 68, 75) to book her berth in the Asia Finals. It was the best card among the five categories and fetched her the title of Faldo Series, India champion again for the second year in a row.
The Asia Grand Final will be hosted by Sir Nick Faldo at Danang in central Vietnam this March.
Pranavi will be joined at the Asia Finals by Keshav Mishra in the boys U-21 category with a score of 12-over 228 (75, 74, 79); Aryan Roopa Anand (boys U-18) with a 17-over 233 (77, 78, 77); Shaurya Bhattacharya (boys U-16) with 6-over 222 and Tanishka Kumar (girls U-21) with 20-over 236.
Close contests
While Pranavi was a clear winner in her category, Nayanika Sanga, carding the next lowest score at 9-over 225, the Girls U-21s was a close contest between Tanishka and Gauri Kharade who both ended their three rounds on 236 aggregates with Tanishka coming through on the second play-off hole.
The boys competition was also as closely fought with Keshav Mishra at 228 winning the U-21 event by one shot from Vignesh Thakur.
It was a similar story in the U-18 class with Aryan Roopa Anand also winning by a shot against Daksh Shokeen. Shaurya Bhattacharya (U-16) completed the lineup for India, edging out upcoming talent Arjun Bhati by four strokes.
Deserved break
Pranavi has been in good form on the past few months, capped by the offer of a golf scholarship to the Albany Academy in the Bahamas. Having finished 37th in the Ladies European Tour’s Hero Women’s Indian Open at DLF Golf & Country Club in October, Urs then topped the Singha Thailand Junior World Championships at the Royal Hua Hin Golf Club.
To complete a strong year, Urs led the standings in December’s all-India Junior Girls Championship at Bangalore’s Eagleton Golf Course to break into the top-800 in The R&A’s World Amateur Golf Ranking.
“I am really excited about the scholarship programme at the Albany Golf Academy. Albany’s championship course and facility looks amazing. I am positive this will take my game to the next level,” said Pravani, who makes no secret of her desire to succeed on the LPGA Tour.
Before heading to the Bahamas in October, Urs added the 54-hole Faldo Series India Championship title in a strong field that included Anika Varma and the Bakshi sisters, Jahanvi and Hitaashee.
According to nickfaldo.com, Urs prevailed last year after a nail-biting sudden-death play-off against fellow prodigy Varma, who she also edged out at the all-India Juniors. Urs then finished joint second in the Girls’ Under-16s at last year’s Asia Grand Final.
Broad base
The 2018-19 Faldo Series Asia season is supported by The R&A and endorsed by the Asian Tour and the Asia Pacific Golf Confederation. The International Junior Golf Academy is a partner of the Faldo Series.
As well as two events in China and Thailand, championships are being staged in Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Chinese-Taipei, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam.
Past champions of the Faldo Series include Tseng Ya-ni and Rory McIlroy, both multiple Major winners, while Thidapa Suwannapura (2010 Faldo Series Asia Grand Final Girls’ champion) and Nasa Hataoka (2016 Faldo Series Asia Grand Final Girls’ champion) both won on last year’s LPGA Tour.
Also read: Bahamas golf scholarship for promising Karnataka teen Pranavi Urs
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